Spitfire hunters refuse to abandon hope of finding warplanes in Burma

A GEOLOGY EXPERT hunting for dozens of Spitfires allegedly buried in Burma said he would not give up the search for the Second World War fighter planes after the venture’s backers dismissed the theory.

Belarusian global video gaming company Wargaming.net, which funded the high-profile hunt for the Spitfires said on Friday none of the legendary planes was buried in the south-east Asian country.

But the excavation teams carrying out surveys on the ground said on Saturday night that they would not abandon the search and were still conducting surveys near the international airport in Rangoon, Burma’s main city, as well as the northern town of Mytikina. “I am very confident that the planes are buried in both places. Excavation is a time-consuming task, but I strongly believe that we will be able to extract the planes,” said Soe Thein, a retired geology professor who has helped in the recovery operation.

Htoo Htoo Zaw, whose company is partnered with aviation enthusiast David Cundall, a farmer in Scunthorpe, in the search, said representatives from Wargaming.net left before the survey was complete. The hunt for the lost planes was launched amid hope that as many as 140 rare Spitfires were hidden in crates in pristine condition in three locations in Burma.